City Power pulls the plug on Hillbrow nightclub as debt crackdown intensifies

A high-profile disconnect in the heart of Hillbrow

One of Hillbrow’s best-known nightlife spots has gone dark.

The Summit Club, a popular inner-city nightclub, has had its electricity supply cut after City Power discovered it owed more than R2.6 million in unpaid electricity bills. The disconnection formed part of a wider city operation led by Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, aimed squarely at businesses and property owners who have been dodging municipal payments for years.

For residents and ratepayers who pay their bills every month, the move was a rare sight: visible consequences for a business operating in plain sight while accumulating massive debt.

Allegations of dodging payment

According to City officials, the situation at The Summit Club went beyond a simple overdue account.

Inspectors allegedly uncovered that the nightclub had opened a second electricity account, which the City believes was used to avoid settling the outstanding balance on the original meter. This prompted City Power to disconnect the defaulted supply in line with its credit control policies.

During the inspection, officials also flagged safety and compliance issues at the venue. The club was found to have altered its internal layout without an approved building plan, breaching municipal building regulations another red flag in an already troubling inspection.

Part of a much bigger operation

The Summit Club was not the only target.

City Power confirmed that two major properties in Hillbrow were disconnected during the operation the nightclub and a shopping complex that also houses residential flats. Together, the two sites racked up close to R25 million in electricity debt, underscoring the scale of revenue the City continues to lose through non-payment and illegal connections.

Mayor Morero said the operation was about restoring fairness to the system.

“These measures are essential to safeguarding the integrity of the electricity grid and ensuring that law-abiding, paying customers are not unfairly burdened,” he said.

Billions owed, services at risk

The Hillbrow crackdown forms part of City Power’s broader campaign to recover more than R10 billion owed to the City of Johannesburg. Alarmingly, around R3.2 billion of that debt comes from inner-city areas alone.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena warned that illegal connections and chronic non-payment are placing enormous strain on the electricity network.

“With financial resources diverted away from essential maintenance and upgrades, it becomes harder to keep the network stable,” Mangena said, adding that outages and infrastructure damage become more likely when the system is abused.

What inspectors found on the ground

The operation extended beyond electricity meters.

City Power teams, working alongside Emergency Medical Services and the Building Control Unit, carried out inspections along Claim Street, Esselen Street and Edith Cavell Street. What they found painted a grim picture of inner-city decay and exploitation.

Officials encountered hijacked and unlawfully occupied buildings, illegal electricity connections and properties where tenants continued paying rent while landlords defaulted on rates, taxes and utility bills.

In one case, a block of more than 30 flats that was disconnected last November remains without power after illegal connections were removed a stark example of how long these problems can persist.

Public reaction: “About time”

On social media, reaction to the Summit Club disconnection was swift and largely supportive. Many Joburg residents praised the City for finally acting against businesses they believe have been operating above the law.

For years, ratepayers have complained that ordinary households face strict enforcement, while well-known venues and large property owners accumulate massive arrears with little consequence. This operation, many said, felt different.

A warning shot to inner-city businesses

City officials have made it clear that this is not a once-off stunt.

The message is simple: popularity, visibility or profit does not exempt a business from paying for electricity or complying with building regulations. As Johannesburg struggles to fund basic services, every unpaid bill shifts the burden onto residents who already carry the cost.

For Hillbrow’s business owners and inner-city landlords more broadly the Summit Club disconnection may be the clearest sign yet that the City is serious about collecting what it is owed, even if it means pulling the plug on some of the area’s most recognisable names.

{Source: IOL}

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